MY NEW BLOG! (As if I don't have enough to do!)

I just added a new blog: THEN SINGS MY SOUL.
http://latterdaymusic.blogspot.com/
This blog is about the music that inspires us all
as latter-day saints. Feel free to read my first post.
I am hoping to add a new song each Monday.
Make comments and suggest things that you'd like to see. I am hoping to really grow my testimony through Music in this way. Come and Join me and we can be inspired together.

You can follow that up with a talk from my Cousin's Blog
http://www.talkoftheweek.blogspot.com/
Which is posted every Thursday.

Imagine the Spirit you can feel through out the week.
Sunday is just one day of the week, there are 6 more days....that we all need to live closer to the Savior.

Journey to health: Physical and Financial

My story

Why I joined INTERNET CEO MOMS.
http://internetceomoms.com/love2behome (that is my personal site.)

About a year ago I contacted this company and decided not to do this. I am a skeptic. I really didn't study it out and I was very quick to judge and didn't consider it again, until now.

The change happened to me when Brian changed his job and though his income went up so did our expenses. We finally had to get a van so now we have payments and insurance payments too.
Brian is now traveling 60 miles each way to work. So the price of gas and maintenance went up as well.

We really want to sell our house and get a new one closer to his work, but we have nothing saved to do so. (Besides we would have to pay $8,000 from our home buyer tax credit, if we move before 2012.) So now we are saving every penny we can and living more frugally then ever. We can pay our bills and make ends meet but we cut our fun money and put it into savings and that is minimal at best and it will take a while to get a nice down payment on what we are saving now.

So I started looking again for someway to make money and still be a Mom in my home, and save faster.
Teach preschool, do child care, really thinking and praying.
Then something else happened during that time.
I was having major breakouts on my face...I've been having them a lot lately. COME ON I am a 34 year old woman, zits are supposed to be gone, right? I had tried all different kinds of cleansers, with little sometimes no improvement.

While on a trip to Park City I stopped at a store that carried organic (I am not a real organic shopper) facial cleansers. I bought a container of a facial scrub and my face cleared up in a matter of days, and I haven't had a problem since. I was amazed! THE LIGHT BULB TURNED ON! If this one change can make a differance what other things might I be able to change?
I have also been getting sick constantly, tired all the time and I really needed to make a change toward better health.
I haven't been taking care of myself and it was time to start.

So, I remembered the company that I had looked at earlier and requested more information again.

Internet Ceo Moms is partnered with a wellness store called Melaleuca.
http://www.melaleuca.com/ps -contact me to sign up

The team members of CEO Moms sign people up to shop at the Melaleuca for the wholesale price.

They don't' sell anything, host parties or buy inventory. They use the product they buy for themselves.

Melaleuca sells everyday products that we use already, but every thing focuses on health.
The products are safe for you in every way. They are effective and the vitamins are a better quality then any over the counter vitamins out there.

So the idea is that you switch stores, and buy products that you need anyway from Melaleuca.
Kinda like joining Sam's club or Costco (in a way).

I wanted to start living healthier, so I wanted to try the vitamins and that is where I am now.

Being on the Team for Internet CEO Moms is a way for me to work from home, gain health and bring in a little extra money. I don't sell the product, I use the product. So far I like it.

THIS BEGINS MY JOURNEY TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS. Physically and Financially.

New and Not So New, News

A lot has changed since my last post.

I am not good at keeping up with it.

What is my excuse? I don't know, I have none.

To start with: BRIAN, NEW JOB (AGAIN)= NEW CAR!

Brian has gotten even another job.

As I had mentioned in my last post that he found another Job and it was a cut in pay.

He was unsatisfied with a cut in pay and continued to look for a job and found a new job.

The UP sides are: it pay significantly more then even working at Flying J.

It is a very good company that does software for background checks, Called TazWorks.

The company is growing constantly. He originally applied as a Support Engineer, fancy for technical support, which is what he has been doing for the last 2 years. He was a good fit, then it was discussed that they needed a Software Engineer, also fancy for computer developer, they asked if Brian was interested in a challenge. He has been wanting for a while to get back into development, the pay is usually higher and job outlook much better. So this was a good move for Brian. He is so happy there. The people that he works with are stellar and are patient as Brian is learning the new technology, as there is in every computer computer a new language to learn.

The DOWN sides: He now has to commute to work, 60 miles there and 60 miles back.

It takes him an hour each way. So the extra money goes into gas, and another vehicle....we needed it anyway. But the future of this job and experience is well worth the sacrifice.

Over all it has been a good change, he has gotten use to the commute.

We would like to move as soon as we can...but with the home buyers Tax credit we need to stay here for another year and a half or we will have to payback $8,000. YIKES!

We needed another car, so we got a 2008 Kia Sedona Mini-van. It has been so nice.

For that last 2 years we have been squeezing 3 kids into a little Toyota Corolla, it was getting very crowded.

NORI STARTED PRESCHOOL!

This was a hard day for me.

I kept My little Eleanor home with me last year instead of sending her to preschool.

That was my way of keeping her little for one more year.

But despite my best efforts of depriving her of sleep and healthy food, she has continued to grow.(Okay, I didn't do that!) Do think that would have worked?

I asked her that one day. Her response: "Then I wouldn't be very healthy and I would be very grumpy" So smart!
I had to let my Nori go! She has loved going to school.

It is a big step for her. She has watched Madi go to School for the last year and has really wanted to go, now she is.

I do miss her everyday, she is really only gone for 2 hours Monday through Thursday. But hey she is the sweetest kid I have met and she is a light in my life.

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH MADI!

Madi has moved to a new school. She has been reading Chapter books for the last year and has loved reading so much that she was reading WAY above grade level. She was invited to test into an Accelerated Learning Academy. She tested in and was accepted. We then had a choice to make.

I would have to drive her everyday, there isn't a bus for the ALA kids. She would have to leave the school that she loved and new. In the process of our decision I never thought to ask her what she wanted to do. So when I finally did. Her response "I could make even more friends, and I even get to learn Spanish, I'd like to try it." Wow, so mature. So it was decided. She is now a Timber wolf and loves her new school and is doing very well.

She will be turning 7 tomorrow and is so quick and smart.

It is a little scary.

But she is such a wonderful little girl, she is so kind and loving to everyone.

And her testimony of the Gospel is just growing so much. What an amazing kid!

OWEN IS HOME WITH ME!

Well, Now it is just me and Owen in the mornings with out the Girls.

I guess I never realized how much help that the Girls are with Owen. He has has someone to entertain him since he was born. Now it is up to me.

I love having the time with him and there is a few minutes of quiet.

But now I have to plan my showers for when he is in bed or before the Girls leave to school.He loves cuddling and wants to be held constantly. I'll stop and do it though, because I have learned that he too will grow, and those moments will fade away.

ME THE MOM

I am just trying to learn how to fit it all in.

Car-pooling kids to and from school. And keeping up with the house.

I did just finish our Primary Program, I am the Primary Chorister.

And it went VERY WELL!

This has been a challenging calling for me.

Not the music and the kids, but I have to say that I haven't felt a very supportive role from the Primary Presidency, and that has really made it hard for me.

So I have to pray for strength every Sunday to do my job.

And I have felt him strengthen me as I have prepared and taught each week.

I thank my Heavenly Father everyday when I pray for the family that I have.

The blessings that I have received.

I Ask Him everyday to help me guide my children in the right ways.

To help me give them the understanding of their worth as a Child of God.

My two Little Princesses and a Prince, after all they are Children of A King.

I hope that this lesson will give the the courage to always choose the right!

At long last, I have come back!

The Palmer's have not fallen off the planet.
I have returned to the blogging scene.

These months have been months of celebration and choices.
We do have to say GOOD BYE to Flying J! And Hello new Job!

About a month after we moved into our new house, Flying J declared bankruptcy.
We were unsure for all of these months about the security of Brian's job.
So we hunted and searched, and searched and hunted.
We were able to get a job for Brian only ONE mile from home.
We are so relieved.
Brian is working now for .....Software as a tester and developer.
They design the software used at collection agencies, and they stated to Brian that they have NOT seen any bit of the recession in their company. We hope this is true.
We are grateful to have a new job close to home.
We had to take a cut in pay, But we will be okay, it is better then a cut job. Especially with so many lay-offs in other places. The choice to get another job wasn't easy, he really looked very hard at going back to school and getting a new degree in Nursing. Random, I know.
But he wanted to get something more secure with a greater earning potential. Reluctantly, I was behind him. I would do what it would take to make him happy and help us in the future.
In our investigation we kept running into trouble with deadlines and other things. The biggest wall that we hit was the MONEY. We would have to find a way to make it 3 years with little or no income. We have done it before, this would be different. We now have more obligations.
Finding a lender provided nearly impossible, we even looked at the Navy, the Air force and the Army. Alas, some would not return calls and the age cut off was an issue for others.
When it came down to it though, we wouldn't want to be in the military at all.
For all that do it, I applaud you greatly. I don't think it is the life we want.
So, as the last door closed in exploring all of our options, Brian received an acceptable offer for this new job. We are so grateful! The process of finding this job proved to be flawless. Something that happens to us when things are JUST THE RIGHT THING!
I am not sure how it happens to you but when things are right they just seem to fall on our laps.

Brian is ending his vacation and begin his new job tomorrow.
He is excited and anxious and is looking forward to not having to travel anymore.
The kids and I are happy that he will be here with us now.

Madi had here last day of school and Brian walked with her to take pictures. She loved school and was at the top of her class. She was accepted to an accelerated learning center here. So I will be taking her to school from now on. No more bus. She says that is okay because the bus is TOO LOUD anyway! I think she will really like learning all that they will offer.
She loved school and did well, but I think that she needs more of a challenge as she has been knocking out chapter books like mad.

She really misses school, but it is nice to have her home.
Nori loves seeing her all day, and playing with her.
Owen stays busy with her too. That really helps me.
I love my Madi!


June 1st, marked My little Eleanor's birthday.
She is four.
For her birthday she wanted a "Funny Four" party.
So they wore their clothes backwards and inside out.
She was able to have four friends and they played some crazy games.



Here they created marshmallow creatures and towers or shapes out of toothpicks and marshmallows.


Here we played pin the NOSE ON NORI, That was a fun thing to watch.

HERE IS HER DIRT CAKE!
She really wanted to have jokes at her party,
so what better way then a cake that looks l
like a scoop of dirt with rocks, worms and bugs.
I don't think anyone dared eat it right away.

They also had Jello in a cup....they were told it was kool-aid.
They got a big surprise when they could not drink it.
I think they had a great time.

I just can't believe she is FOUR....noooooo! She is my Nori Baby.
I don't want her to grow up.

Owen had his birthday on June 8th. HE IS TWO AND IS HE EVER!

He is the busiest little kid I have ever seen. He is talking, climbing, yelling, singing, dancing and always getting into something.
He loves to cuddle under a blanket and read books. He is an avid fan of hats of all kinds.

Here he is sporting a fabulous Strawberry Plant bucket.
The latest fashion at the Palmer home.
We may make our millions with this one.

With as busy as he is I have to put it to good use.
Here he is cleaning the chairs.
I know this is child labor and it is illegal---don't report me.
Notice the cute hello kitty apron, also a favorite fashion item.
He now owns a more masculine one with cars on it, so no worries there.
Despite all his activities and how he wears me out I love watching him grow and learn.
He is my Owen Boo!

NOTES OF INTEREST:

Life has been full, and has really thrown some things at us.

Owen has been diagnosed with breath-holding attacks. These are scary episodes where he stops breathing, passes out and has seizures, when he is scared or hurt, which is often, the episodes don't happen every time though, they are really random. After a few trips to the ER, we have an answer and we now know what to do when he has them.

It is still a scary thing to see, and I still get an adrenaline rush every time, but we are getting better at handling the situation. Which makes him calm and his episodes are less severe.

He is supposed to out grow it by the time he is 6 or at the latest 8 years old.

MY SANITY IS RESTORED!

Okay, I have three children. Two that are still home with me all day.
Could I have made my life more complicated, YES!
In a moment of insanity, we did get the cutest dog.
SAD to say she is now in her original home, awaiting another family.

I think that I had lost my mind. It is back!
It is possible to loose your mind under the spell of the cuteness of a puppy.
It wasn't about the training of a dog, but the attention that I couldn't ultimately give to my wonderful children. They would take a back seat to the puppy.
I cannot divide my attention that easily among it all.
I hoped to give it at least a week. BUT, my wise husband knew that it would not get easier so quickly. We could have adjusted but the stress level went from manageable to insane in one day.
WHY do something that is not required at this time?
Have a baby is one thing, but after 2 and a half days with a puppy. I thought I would go insane.

After caring for anything you grow to love it. Attachment happened quickly. She was a puppy that was eager to please and really wanted to be loved. So giving her back was a heartbreaking moment. One, that my Madi took hard at first. But I have been amazed at the level of maturity in which she has come to accept it.
"I am okay, mom, about the dog, we were happy before we got one, we didn't have her too long and we can be happy without one." Yes, a six year old said that to me this morning. WOW!

Alas, my sanity is restored to it's original state. Which isn't much to begin with. I have to hold onto what I have left.


Anyone out there who believes they can do it all. I advise that you cannot when it comes to a puppy and a young family. If you can do it, you have truly esteemed yourself my hero.
I think maybe if you want a dog, a potty trained one would be for the best.

If I loose my mind again, I think I would get an older pup, NO potty training needed.
That won't happen for years to come.

I am a dog lover with everything inside me. I may have to admire them from afar until my kids are old enough to not play with the puppy's bowl of food and water and become busier then even me, EVEN then I am little wiser.

IT IS ANOTHER GIRL!!!

MEET DAISY our newest addition.
A Basset Hound Puppy!

Well, I have been wanting a dog and so have the Girls.


Truthfully, though I didn't want the work of a dog. So I was on the fence about it.
I have always loved dogs. I think it was sort of a hobby of mine to study and learn the breeds.
I even spent hours watching dog shows on TV. I think it was weird, myself.
I even watched the Dog Whisperer, and not because I thought Cesar (The trainer was hot). I found it entertaining, though I had no need of the education it offered. I know strange. HUH?
We had dogs in my yard growing up. Not in my house, never in the house. SO they were never the kind of dogs you wanted to really cuddle with or sometimes even pet them. SAD I know!
I have always wanted one. I am however not unaware of the required work at hand. SO I would go back and forth. I didn't anticipate one now. I thought at least a few more years or even 10.
But alas, We ran across these Basset pups, which are the only one of two breeds Brian even wanted to consider.
Brian has been listening to us all ew and ah over puppies or dogs for a while . Having had a dog in his house growing up he knew it was a big undertaking and was against it.
Then he changed his mind. 24 hours later we had a Dog.
That is how Brian works and once he has his mind on something, move out of the way.
When he said he too wanted a dog. He also said it may take a while to find the right one.
NO, not really. It was done.

So now we have a little pup, I have my work cut out for me.
I already did. Now I have much more to do.
Potty Training a dog. I don't know what I am doing.
BUT once I am done I will then be training Owen.
Then I am done.
That is the plan.

She is a sweet dog who has really taken a liking to me. She wants to please me and hides from me if she thinks she has failed. I'd say that you want that in a dog.

Welcome to your new home Daisy!

MILESTONES

Is anyone starting to notice a trend in my blogs? I sure am. I don't do it when I need to and fall behind then I am busting with information.
I really need to be more consistent with my updates.
What can I say, I get busy. AS WE ALL ARE! Blogging starts to take a back seat.
So I am going to focus on MILESTONES!

MILESTONE ONE:

As mentioned in a previous blog.

At the end of December Brian and I went on a vacation alone! Not only our first non-family event planned vacation. BUT without kids for 7 days! FUN FUN FUN!!
San Diego was great! Sea world for two-days, Dinner/dance cruise, USS Midway,and Wild Animal park! We stayed at a very nice resort called the Catamaran.
It was located on Mission Bay and with a hop, skip, and a jump we were able to walk on the beaches and watch the waves. SO RELAXING!

MILESTONE TWO:

Eleanor cut her hair. (This was in January)
Not trim...NO, a cut.
10 Inches! We were able to donate her hair to locks of love but she just grew up before our eyes. I have to admit I shed a lot of tears while at she got it done and then a few the next day.
BUT she loved it she didn't stop smiling for days. It was a BIG deal to us all!

MILESTONE THREE:
Owen is Finally walking ( In December!)

He was incredibly fast when crawling and really

didn't want to take the next step! (Pun intended!) But once he started he didn't stop.
He was already so busy I wasn't in a hurry for it. But he can keep up with the girls and has so much fun now. It is amazing how fast he is growing!

MILESTONE FOUR:
Madi Looses another Tooth (In December)

It is amazing how grown up she feels every time she looses one.
She is so excited and just bubbles over!

MILESTONE FIVE:
I painted the Girls' room (In January)

I finally put to use the paint I had purchased about 6 months ago!

-To match their quilts.

Then I finally finished the quilts. (In February)

I had been working on them for almost two years-Off and On.

The bunk beds finally went up. (Two weeks ago)

Now that the painting is done.

MILESTONE SIX:

We have been talking about a tire swing.

Also up. (Two weeks ago)

MILESTONE SEVEN:

UPDATED MY BLOG! (TODAY)

*pat myself on the back!*